Grammy and Gran Gran Come to Visit!

For us, one of the hardest parts of this blasted virus has been the fact we can't see our family and friends.  We are used to traveling to Texas a couple of times a year, the Texas family comes to see us throughout the year, we go to Atlanta at least every quarter, we host guests and family get togethers here.  Although we have been fortunate to see our Sasser side a few times, it's still not as frequent and every trip contains a bit of risk and caution.

We have not seen Grammy and Gran Gran since they came in early January to watch the kids during our DC trip. At that time, they left all sad because we wouldn't see them for 2 full months (until our Spring Break trip).  Fast forward SEVEN WHOLE MONTHS and we still had not hugged their necks.  FaceTime can only give you so much interaction, and we missed them!  Although the virus was still hot in Texas (and Georgia then reached #1 on several CDC charts - and not for anything good), they decided to carefully make the trek over and spend the second week of August with us.  We are so glad they did!

I have beau coups of photos to share, mostly from my dad's camera chip (which he always graciously shares with me before he departs!)  He captured SO MANY great ones of the kiddos that I'm going to shamelessly use for their birthday updates coming up this month.

We tried to keep the trip pretty low key, not to mention there is not much to safely do during a pandemic. Grammy and Gran Gran spent lots of time outside with the kiddos, reading books, playing outdoor games, using binoculars and their various birding apps to identify bird calls, board games, movies, etc.  (OH, and on the last two night we finally convinced my dad to watch Hamilton!  As expected, he loved it!!)

We went out to the land several times to show them all the work and progress the boys have made (clearing land, planting food plots, putting up deer stands, etc).  One night we had burgers from the favorite hole-in-the-wall place down the road, drove around on the Gator, and then popped some fireworks that Uncle Kelly and Aunt Shawntel sent to us.

They sent us some "pooping puppy" fireworks and they were quite the hit!  

Have I updated lately on the land?  Have I updated ever on the land? I need to ask for some grace from my husband, for failing to document this beautiful piece of property that we own.  Admittedly I don't spend as much time out there, but this is the boys' pride and joy.  Gran Gran, James and JB went out a couple of more times to fish and check on the wildlife.

And the dangerous, venomous snakes..

Gran Gran always brings books of printed photos he has taken of critters and creatures around their house.  Texas has some wild moths, bugs, and amphibians. The kids LOOOOOOVE these books.  Even after they leave, we "read" them at night (and it always disappoints them that I don't know the names like Gran Gran does!)

Y'all know that the Kerrs like to cook. I had some beautiful tomatoes that the Currys gave to us from the garden, and - since no one outside of Middle/South Georgia knows about Tomato Pie - I decided to make one for my Texan parents.  Big hit. (But, seriously, the great tomatoes are the secret to this dish.) 

 

We also grilled pizzas one night!  While James cooked, we took turns playing corn hole and frisbee.  Wesley is incredibly good at the frisbee (not just his Mama saying it - it's the truth!)  I have a fantastic video that is saved to the Cloud.  

Grammy, Maryn and I had lots of good girl time.  I already wrote about the ear piercing experience, and we also did some running around, getting coffees/Horizon milks, a little shopping (safely, in masks).  Not to mention that Mother did all sorts of projects around the house for me.  She's always so helpful!!

And, speaking of Grammy, we celebrated her on their last night in Georgia!!  She turned 65 on the 15th, so we couldn't let them leave without a party.  Granted, we couldn't celebrate out on the town, or with a large crowd,  but our office provided a great place to surprise Grammy with balloons, presents and her favorite pie, lemon merengue.  

Her fantastic son-in-law made sure she had a nice drink to enjoy during her birthday dinner! 

And of course we had to cheers, to the birthday girl and a great visit.  Photo Cred: JB

Mother then opened all her presents, with lots of help.  I narrowed down to my favorite pictures, but the facial expressions on everyone were priceless. 

This family's hearts are full after such a great visit!  We had missed them and so thankful that they could safely make the trip.  

Some of my favorites of the kiddos with Grammy and Gran Gran:

Love y'all!  Come visit us again soon, and we're planning a Texas trip as soon as we're able. 

Last Day of "Summer" at the Splashpad

Last day of "summer" is always in quotes because our summer weather sticks around until November.  However, this past Sunday was the last day of the little ones' summer, since they started back to preschool on Monday! To celebrate, I took the kids to Little Ocmulgee State Park for a little fun in the sun.  They have a great playground, cool little splashpad, and it's just a beautiful park.

The Gardners came with us, and all 6 of our combined kiddos loved the water. 

Of course, the kids made every attempt to pick up a virus or germ.  Gotta lick every piece of public property that they can find!

Wesley...he would have loved to be an only child. While every enjoyed their PBJs, chips and watermelon at the big picnic table, he wanted to sit by himself at a separate table.

We love this family!  Being backyard neighbors, we see each other nearly every day.  

And I love this park - it's a great one to explore, hike, and play, plus just shy of an hour from our house. The last time we were there I was barely pregnant with little Wesley.  This time, he was running around like he owned the place!  

James didn't get to join us because he was busy with food plots out on the land, so we took this picture with the kids saying "we miss you, Daddy!"  Hopefully we'll all be back again soon. Why we don't go back more often is beyond me. I'm going to make sure that a hike through the Ocmulgee cypress tress is on our Fall 2020 activity list.  Not like we have much else on it at this time... :)